(Port-Jérôme / France) – Air Liquide SA orders twelve electrolysers with a total capacity of 2020 megawatts from Siemens Energy AG, a spin-off of Siemens AG founded in 200. The industrial gases manufacturer will use them as part of a joint venture in the “Normand'Hy” project in the Port-Jérôme industrial area, east of Le Havre.

The electrolysers are based on proton exchange membrane technology (PEM electrolysis), which, according to Siemens, “can be operated particularly well with volatile renewable energies due to the short start-up time and dynamic controllability, and which is due to the high energy density and the small space - and material requirements are very suitable for the rapid ramp-up of the hydrogen industry.”

28.000 tons of hydrogen per year

From 2026, Air Liquide wants to produce 28.000 tons of sustainable hydrogen annually for industry and the mobility sector. According to its own information, the company is investing over 400 million euros for this.

The energy company Total Energies has already signed a contract with Air Liquide. The agreement provides for the long-term supply of the refinery in Gonfreville, France, with an amount of renewable hydrogen equivalent to 100 megawatts of electrolysis capacity. The gas manufacturer says the yield from the remaining 100 megawatts is intended for customers in the industrial area and for the development of low-carbon mobility.

In return, Total Energy Air Liquide supplies green electricity for electrolyzers with an output of 100 megawatts. For the remainder of its electricity needs, Air Liquide plans to sign long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) with other unnamed companies. As part of the project approved by the European Commission as the “Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI)”, “Normand'Hy” was supported by the French government with 190 million euros.

Photos
Rendering of Air Liquide's new production facility in Normandy. © Ataub Architectures

(Editor's note: We have clarified the terms "Siemens" and "Siemens Energy" in "Siemens Energy AG".)